Pollution: Practicing What You Preach
Has anyone noticed the recent trend of backlash directed at those fighting global warming politically, but not in their actions?
Both before and after the Oscars, Al Gore was criticized for his documentary An Inconvenient Truth—not merely for content, but for the way he raced around the globe in his jet in what can only be classified as environmentally unsustainable.
Similarly, during the elections last year, California Gov. Schwarzenegger was criticized for driving a Hummer while simultaneously supporting anti-emissions policies.
Now it seems that Gov. Schwarzenegger will be offsetting his emissions output.
I think it’s a step in the right direction at least. Though I must say this: Governor, get rid of your Hummer and then, maybe, I’ll consider you a real champion for the environment.
What do you think?
I never really believed that paying to offset your carbon footprints really does anything. It’s just throwing money at the problem.
As far as global warming and Al Gore, I don’t think it is hypocritical. You honestly cannot expect everyone to change their lifestyles to accommodate global warming (because very few people will). That is why I think that the only way to stop global warming is for the government to pass laws that require people to change their lifestyles.
A good example is AB 32, which the state legislature and the governor signed into law in August 2006. While this bill in itself will not be nearly enough to reverse the effects of global warming, it is a step in the right direction.
I’m actually surprised at how many pro-environmental laws the Governor has signed.